Mickelson misses cut at Farmers Open

SAN DIEGO — The last place Phil Mickelson expected to be this weekend was home.

While his colleagues on the PGA Tour are battling over the next two days to win the Farmers Insurance Open in Mickelson's hometown, the San Diego native will watch the action from his living room.

After opening with a miserable 5-over 77 on Thursday, Mickelson knew he would need to go low on Friday to have any chance of making the cut.

Mickelson was able to post a 4-under 68 on the North course, but finished well above the 2 under score he needed to make the cut. It is the first time in 10 years that Mickelson did not make the cut.

"Yesterday's round was shocking to me because my expectations were so high because I knew I was playing well," Mickelson said. "Today was the day where I needed to let things happen, because I had to shoot 7- or 8under par. You can't go out expecting to shoot that score and have it happen. You just have to let it happen, and it didn't quite get there.

"I didn't get the little things I needed to do to go that low to make the cut. But I'll have some time now to work on it, whether I want to or not, and see if I can get it turned around for next week's tournament in Phoenix."

While you would never know it based on the results, Mickelson said he feels extremely positive about all aspects of his game.

After struggling with his putting over the last few seasons, Mickelson spent countless hours over the winter working toward getting more comfortable with the flat stick.

First, he decided to get rid of the belly putter he used at the end of last season and go back to the blade putter.

He used a putter from his past to retool his present one.

"I took out the putter I grew up with and made sure the specs and everything on my Odyssey was the exact as when I was growing up," Mickelson said. "I just tried to get better feel, so I putted every day.

"I have a green that I put in my yard and I spent one to three hours every day just getting feel and touch. I'm very comfortable now with the way I set up to it. All the things on the technical side, I'm rolling the ball well."

So if he's hitting it and putting it so well, how did he shoot 5 over in the first round? Mickelson can't answer that, but he said the main problem is one that many golfers can relate to — not being able to take his game from the range to the first tee.

While that hasn't happened to him in a while, Mickelson said he has experienced the problem here and there over the years.

So as he's working on his game this weekend, he said he'd think about what he can do to make sure his play is as strong as his practice.

"I won't know if the practice and the work I do these next four days will correlate until I tee it up on Thursday," Mickelson said.

Part of Mickelson's problem in the first round might have been that his mind was elsewhere. His 10-year-old daughter, Sophia, suffered a seizure last week and was having a battery of tests done as Mickelson was on the course.

While the tests came back negative, it was definitely on his mind.

While he couldn't be there while the tests were being done, father and daughter will get a chance to hang out this weekend.

historic shot

PGA Tour rookie Sang-Moon Bae is tied for third after two rounds with a score of 12 under.

Bae, who played on the Japan Golf Tour last season, is trying to become the first rookie to win the Farmers Insurance Open. If he can pull off the feat, he will also become the first player since Jay Don Blake in 1991 to make the Farmers Insurance Open his first PGA Tour victory.

Added pressure

Marc Turnesa needs a big weekend. This is his final event playing on a major medical exemption. He needs to make $447,412 this weekend to stay exempt.